


Sometimes Work Gets To Nico

by orphan_account



Series: Will and Nico All Grown Up [5]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Flashbacks, Homicide Detective, M/M, Phone Calls, Playing with kids, bad day, solangelo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-05
Updated: 2017-06-05
Packaged: 2018-11-09 11:39:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11103825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Obviously, Nico had a really bad day and Will is worried.  But, Nico will be okay.





	Sometimes Work Gets To Nico

**Author's Note:**

> This is short and sweet. I bet Nico would have flashbacks. He did have a shitty youth!

Will knocked on the door and waited but the only sound was the pounding shower. He opened the door slowly and stepped into the steam.  
“Nico?” he called. 

Silence. 

“Nico, it’s been an hour.” 

Will could just barely make out Nico’s form behind the foggy glass and realized he wasn’t standing but crouched low or maybe sitting. Will waited. Finally, Nico’s voice, sounding thick, like it was a chore to speak,

“It has?” 

“Yeah. It has….. Supper’s ready.”

Silence. Then, “It is?”

“Yeah, so… come down for supper, ok Nico?”

Silence. Then, “ok.”

Will sighed as he closed the door behind him. Something had gone down at work today - he had caught the faint but unmistakable stench of putrid flesh as Nico had made a beeline for the bathroom as soon as he was home from work; that was a smell that stuck to your hands, to your hair. The smell itself was bad enough, let alone having to deal with its cause. Nico hadn’t said anything. But he’d been in the shower since he got home. Will’s eyes were worried even as his voice cheerfully called the kids to come to the table.

Nora chirped, “Oh, hi Papa” around a mouthful of peas when Nico joined them at the table a few minutes later, barefoot in jeans and an old t-shirt. Will watched him smile at their daughter and reach out to finger the edge of her red bandana. She’d recently seen a poster of Rosie the Riveter and the bandana hadn’t come off since. In the same spirit she’d taken to only wearing Lee’s old overalls and she was tanned brown as anything. Nico kissed Nora’s freckly cheek and then tweaked Lee’s chin to get his attention. Lee was allowed to read at the table so long as he cleaned his plate. “Hi Papa,” Lee said absently, barely glancing up. Nico sat and leaned his elbows on the table and rested his chin in his hands and stared across at Will staring at him. 

Will quietly said, “eat” and Nico picked up a piece of bread and held it in one of his hands. He held it while Nora babbled away, something about a butterfly and her friend Abby and Abby’s baby brother. Lee finally put down his book and shoveled in the rest of his potatoes. “Papa, let’s kick a ball around.”

Will was standing, collecting plates. He said, “I think your Papa needs a break” but Nico was getting up too and contradicted him. 

“That sounds perfect Lee. I’ll meet you out front.” He put down the bread. Both kids ran outside and Will leaned against the countertop and grabbed Nico’s hand to pull him close.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Nico said before Will could say anything. Will saw the shine in his eyes. Will nodded. Nico still stepped between his legs though and let his lips press heavily against Will’s and Will did reach his hand to Nico’s damp curls and when they pulled away Will kissed one cheek and then the other before Nico whispered “Thank you” and went outside. Will stood and worried for a minute before he finished clearing the table.

Will was washing the dishes when his phone rang. He quickly dried his hands so he could answer but he stayed by the sink gazing out the window into the front yard while he spoke.

“Hey Mike.”

“Will.”

“What the fuck, Mike, you broke my husband.”

“That’s why I’m calling, Will. I’ve never seen Nico like this, Will.”

“What the hell happened, Mike. He won’t tell me.”

Will heard Mike sigh. “We found this kid today, Will. It was bad. I mean, two of the uniforms lost their lunch right there. It was real bad, Will. I don’t blame him at all, but Nico, he kinda just lost it, you know? Like, Nico, he’s tough, right? Nothing seems to faze him. And you know we’ve seen some fucked up things, Will. But I’ve never seen that guy break down. And today, in front of everyone, just, …tears, you know? Like, real ugly crying, Will. When we pulled that kid out of that barrel, he…. ...his knees just hit the ground and-”

“You found a kid in a barrel?” Will’s voice was tight. He swallowed hard. “Nico would know something about that, Mike.”

Mike was quiet a second. “whaddya mean, Will? You saying someone once sealed di Angelo in a barrel?”

“Yeah well, Nico had a shitty youth, Mike.”

“Fuck…”

“Yeah.”

“…Is he broken there, Will?”

Will peered out the window. The soccer game appeared to be over with Lee just dribbling the ball by himself on the street. Nico was sprawled on the grass eyes closed against the sun with Nora kneeling close to him painting his fingernails with markers. Through the open window Will could hear Italian chatter. Will smiled a little though it still hurt a bit to swallow.

“I think he’s okay, Mike. He’s strong.”

“Yeah, I know it. Okay, Will. You tell him I called, will ya? He won’t answer his phone. But you tell him I asked if he was okay.”

“Yeah, I will Mike. He’s out playing with the kids right now. He’ll be okay.”

Will put down the phone and walked out onto the porch. Nico lifted his head from the grass, squinting over at him and smiled. Nico said to Nora, “arancia. Orange” as she chose her next colour. Her little voice repeated, “I know, Papa. Orange is arancia.”


End file.
